Social bookmarking is a system or network where members of the network are able to list or bookmark web sites that they like for various reasons. The members list is accessible by other members of the network. In addition, lists of sites can be created 'on the fly' by typing in keywords, known as tags in the world of social bookmarking. They may also find lists of sites based on categories, topics, or even random selections.

Many things can be bookmarked and accessed through social bookmarking, including web pages, feeds, videos, audios, shopping, maps, and more. The possibilities are virtually limitless.

Social bookmarking is a new term to many, but it has actually been around since 1996, when itlist was launched. Three years later, there was Backflip, followed by Blink, and it has just grown from there. Today, the most popular and well-known social bookmarking sites are delicious, simpy, and furl. Other popular social bookmarking sites include: Blinklist, Caboodle, Ma.gnolia, Dig, Stumbleupon, Netvouz, and Diigo.

Today, there are even services that will allow you to send a bookmark to multiple social bookmarking sites at one time. One such service is Onlywire. To use this service, you must first sign up and then sign up for a membership at all of the social bookmarking sites that the service utilizes.

Once this is done, you can put a small icon on the toolbar of your favorite web browser. When you find a web site that you would like to bookmark, you simply click the icon, and the service takes care of the rest. You will, of course, be able to 'tag' the bookmark with appropriate keywords before it is sent to the various social bookmarking sites.

You may wonder why you would want to do this. The reasons are as varied as the number of people on the planet. But the two main reasons are for social awareness and for business purposes. Some people who are passionate about a specific topic will use social bookmarks when they find important sites to make those sites more accessible to the general online public.

Those who own web sites use social bookmarking to get more traffic to their sites. Each time they add new content, they send another bookmark for that specific page. This results in 'fast traffic' for many, depending on the popularity of the topic.

Because social bookmarking is so popular, and used by so many, the services that are offered through the social bookmarking sites has been extended to include the ability to rate sites and to review them, or to leave comments regarding them. It is also possible to import lists that are generated through the social bookmarking sites into your own personal bookmarks. Some sites allow users to add notes, email links, to subscribe to feeds, and to even be notified via email when new bookmarks are added for specified categories or keywords.

These advances have made social bookmarking extremely powerful - not only for those who utilize the technology to find web sites, but also for those who want to get their web sites noticed by others. Whether you have your own web site or not, you will indeed find that social bookmarking is extremely useful - regardless of what your purposes may be.

The best site social bookmarking site for Internet marketers is Squidoo.

Unlike other sites, Squidoo will allow you to market your products and/or services. Squidoo will enable you to create an informative page on just about any subject you'd like. This page is known as a lens. You can create as many lenses as you'd like. However, the key to using this technique effectively is to provide your readers with helpful, informative information that will assist them in some way. You can then give them recommendations and provide them with links to your site.

When you set up your lens, you will need to set it up like you would a web page on your web site. For example, make sure you include your most relevant keyword phrase, also known as a long tail keyword, within your lens title and within the URL for better Search Engine ranking.

You will also need to make sure you 'tag' your lens with your long tail keywords, and other relevant keywords, when you set up your lens.

To ensure you get the most out of your lens, make sure you update it with fresh content at least a few times a week. In addition, place an RSS feed within the page, as this will provide some additional changing content.

To increase your traffic, create similar lenses and then link them all together. This will enable you to share your lens traffic and increase traffic to the links you're promoting.

Even if you're not interested in the whole bookmarking concept, it would be wise to learn to use social bookmarking sites. There is always the possibility that they could one day replace Search Engines, which have become extremely commercialized according to many opinions. While business owners do use social bookmarking, at this time, they are not able to purchase a higher listing, as they can in the Search Engines.

Social bookmarking sites provide a great way to not only build your credibility, but also to drive traffic to your site and increase your sales. Add this strategy to your promotions. It will be well worth your time and effort.